Flower Notes:
Green (Yellowish-green monoecious catkins; not ornamentally important)
Foliage Notes:
Green (Handsome deeply-cut, fern-like foliage; emerges late in spring); Bronze (Golden-bronze fall foliage that persists into winter)
Fruit Notes:
Brown (Three winged nut is edible)
Soil Notes:
Prefers acidic soil, some soil moisture and good drainage to perform best; does not tolerate wet and clay soils
Diagnostic Characteristics:
Leaves simple, alternate, 2-4" long, fern-like with deeply cut sinuses, lustrous dark green above and light green beneath, glabrous at maturity, silky when young. Petioles can be downy. Buds are long. Slender, pointed with many scales. Fruit is 3-sided nut in prickly husks that ripen in October. Smooth, gray bark that appears wrinkled in some areas, resembling an elephant's hide.